In Greek society philia, friendship, described a political rather than a romantic relationship. Philia, as Stephen Clark puts it, was “the vital bond of Greek societies by which one marks off ‘one’s own’”. The commonest type of philia was for pleasure, with philoi having fun together as they indulged themselves together in games, drink or even intellectual pursuits. Another type of philia involved people forming a business partnership to earn profit. But it was only a third type of philia that Aristotle would recognise as constituting true philia, namely the situation in which “philoi recognise each other as good, as just what they themselves would wish and hope to be - as ‘other selves’ for whom it would be proper and even easy to die”, friends who “love each other as themselves”. Since it would normally “be slavish to live ‘for another’, taking the other’s ideals and interests as one’s own”, it follows that true philia presupposes philoi taking their pleasure and profit in a single noble enterprise.
Aristotle could not conceive of masters and slaves as being real friends because he could not conceive of the master adopting any of the slave’s goals for himself. The only goals the slave was deemed to have were the satisfaction of immediate desires and release from fear. Aristotle believed that some people are naturally slaves and others naturally masters. It was his belief that natural slaves had no concept of doing what is right and no chance of living a “life well-lived.” Aristotle regarded it as illegitimate to enslave prisoners of war and opposed the concept of slavery by law. So he was forced to recognise that most actual slaves were slaves unjustly. Aristotle acknowledged that in practice even between slave and master there might be shared affections, loyalties, and reciprocal obligations. He conceded that a sort of “unequal friendship” might develop between masters and slaves.
Against this background Paul’s letter to Philemon is quite extraordinary. Philemon was a Christian master whose slave, Onesimus, ran away. Onesimus’ life intersected with Paul’s while the latter was in prison. Onesimus is not Paul’s slave and, indeed, such is the depth of relationship between Paul and Onesimus that Paul describes him as “my son” and as “my very heart”. As a prisoner Paul was hardly in any position to effect socio-political change but, in sending Onesimus back to Philemon, he seeks to do this at the micro-level as he urges Philemon to treat Onesimus not as an inferior but as his equal. So Paul, going way beyond the idea of merely treating Onesimus as a friend, explains that he sends him back to Philemon “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.” Paul adds, “He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” Paul reasons with Philemon that since he would consider Paul his partner - he began the letter by referring to him as his “fellow worker” - he must welcome Onesimus back not as a slave but as his partner. Onesimus, with Paul and Philemon, is a co-partner in the greatest and most noble enterprise of them all!
Jesus’ concept of true philia is expressed in John 15:12-15, overlapping but transcending Aristotle’s conception:
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Reference: The above summary of Greek and Aristotelian friendship is provided by Stephen Clark, “‘I knew him by his voice.’ Can Animals Be Our Friends?” in Philosophy Now (May/June 2008) 12-16.
Posted July 22, 2008
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